


Plan 2.0

by forever_falln



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Career Ending Injuries, Kidfic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-23
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2019-03-08 09:20:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13455231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forever_falln/pseuds/forever_falln
Summary: Mitch had a plan for his life. Or he used to.This definitely wasn't it.The plan was the NHL. And it wasn't a pipe dream. He played for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. That's like the rehearsal for the NHL. Everyone knows that. He played against Connor McDavid for crying out loud. He like legit knew him. It was going to happen.Until the accident.





	Plan 2.0

**Author's Note:**

> So this was just a little something I wrote in like half an hour at 1am.
> 
> So sorry if it's a bit crap.

Mitch had a plan for his life. Or he used to.

This definitely wasn't it.

The plan was the NHL. And it wasn't a pipe dream. He played for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. That's like the rehearsal for the NHL. Everyone knows that. He played against Connor McDavid for crying out loud. He like legit knew him. It was going to happen.

Until the accident.

It wasn't even an on ice accident. Everyone had always told him he was too small to play in the NHL. That when he was lining up against P.K. Subban and Dustin Byfyglin he would get smushed. So Mitch always figured there was a chance he'd get a bad hit and that would be it. But that's hockey.

A drunk driver is not hockey. A drunk driver breaking both his legs and messing up his knee permanently wasn't part of the plan. He recovered. He counted himself lucky that he survived it at all. Apparently it was a bit of a close call. He would never forget the look on his mother's face while he had to listen to the doctor tell him that his future hockey career was over. He'd had a career ending injury before his career even began.

Mitch is a little ashamed of the way he handled it. He was just so angry. He lost everything. He didn't have a back-up plan. He didn't want a back-up plan.

But that wasn't even the worst part. During his downward spiral Mitch did a lot of things he regretted. A lot of them he didn't really remember doing behind a fog of alcohol and some other recreational substances. But he does remember this girl. Mainly because he was stupid enough to bring her home. Home as in his parents house. It was pretty awkward facing them the morning after. His father hadn't said anything just he'd just sipped his coffee and shook his head. His mother had cried. That had honestly been worse than if she'd just yelled.

Mitch hated what the accident had done to his family. His mother said it wasn't the accident. This was all him now. But Mitch couldn't let it go. Everything had been perfect in his life. He was headed to the NHL with a beautiful girlfriend. Perfect.

And now? Now he was single having knocked up the girl he cheated on his perfect girlfriend with _and_ there was no hockey. Hell, he still walked with a cane on cold days. And he lived in Toronto; a lot of days were cold.

He didn't know what to do with a baby. His mother was barely talking to him but she was at least helping with the baby. Mitch hadn't given him a name yet. It kind of didn't feel real. He had just been given a baby. Like no one checked that he knew what to do to keep it alive. They just gave him a baby and paperwork that said the girl had signed away her parental rights. This tiny little baby had nothing in this world except Mitch. And if that wasn't the scariest thing Mitch had ever known.

Mitch needed a new plan. A new plan that included being a better person for his son. His son. Plan 2.0. He could pick up classes at University of Toronto. His mom would look after the baby while he had class. Maybe they'd let him coach kids at his local rink. They still liked him there. It wasn't his first choice. It was pretty far away. But maybe it would be okay. Maybe losing hockey wasn't the end of his life. Maybe Plan 2.0 would be okay. Maybe.

 

* * *

 

As it turned out Teddie was the best thing that ever happened to Mitch. It was hard to really wallow in self-pity when you were arm deep in nappies and vomit. You just had to get on with it. He was now in his second year of a Kinesiology program at U of T and coaching hockey as well. It felt good to be back on the ice. He still sometimes got bitter that he would never skate like he used to. He was so fast before but now, his knee got sore if he pushed it too much. But he couldn't wait to teach Teddie how to skate.

Teddie was also the reason that Mitch met Auston Matthews; Hockey God and saviour of hockey in Toronto. Teddie was two and he had Mitch's energy levels. He was always ON. And if he wasn't strapped down he was trying to run away. That's how Mitch found himself alone in a supermarket when he swore he had turned his back for one second. Mitch had been franticly running through the aisles yelling Teddie's name when he happened upon Teddie given Auston Matthews a nonsensical lecture about the evils of bananas. And Auston freaking Matthews was nodding along like he cared. Mitch had been so shaken up he'd just grabbed Teddie and hugged him so hard the toddler had protested. Auston seemed to find the whole thing mildly amusing which bemused Mitch. He was a professional hockey player, why did he care about random lost toddlers in grocery stores. Why was he even in a grocery store on a Saturday? Didn't he have better things to be doing? Like half the girls in Toronto if the gossip was to be believed. But instead he was engaging Mitch in conversation about Teddie, about himself. Mitch hadn't even realised he was being chatted up until Auston had asked for his number. But he'd found himself blushing and typing it into Auston's phone anyway. He was Auston freaking Matthews after all. There was just something about him. Maybe hockey was going to be a much bigger part of his life than his Plan 2.0 had taken account of.

Things certainly seemed to be looking up when Auston freaking Matthews called two days later to ask him out. Mitch felt like there was going to be a catch. There had to be, right?

Mitch's mom had been happy to babysit Teddie and had waived him off when Auston picked him up like they were going to prom. Mitch was just glad she hadn't asked for pictures.

When Auston took Mitch and Teddie to the zoo for their second date Mitch asked him if he had some sort of agenda. Auston had looked at him like he was crazy, but like tinged with fondness too. He'd just shrugged and said he liked them. Them. He liked Mitch and Teddie. Mitch hadn't done an awful lot of dating since Teddie came along but what he had done had usually ended because of Teddie. Because the other person just wasn't looking for a long term commitment or you know, kids, right out of the gate. But Teddie was a part of him and Auston got that. Not just accepted it or tolerated it but actually liked it. Mitch just grinned in response and that was enough.

Life with Auston turned out to be kind of crazy but also kind of great. Not kind of. Just great. His family were amazing. Big and loud and crazy but amazing. They had just welcomed him and Teddie into the fold like they already belonged there. Auston was making it his mission to teach Teddie Spanish and Mitch had to admit it was worth it to see the misty eyed look on Ema Matthews' face when Teddie chattered away in Spanglish. Mitch kept expecting Auston to freak out. About the gay thing or about the kid thing. But nothing seemed to phase him. He introduced Mitch and Teddie to his team after a month super casually just like 'this is Mitch; my boyfriend and his son Teddie'. Mitch didn't get it but he didn't exactly mind. Auston was a pretty awesome guy. Like beyond awesome actually.

So when Auston asked them to move in with him it was obvious he was going to say yes. And when Auston came to his graduation and held Teddie during the whole ceremony Mitch thought Plan 2.0 wasn't actually that bad. When Teddie called Auston “Apá” for the first time Mitch melted at the look on Auston's face. So no Mitch's life didn't really go to plan. Maybe if he had never got hit by that drunk driver he might've got drafted. If he'd been lucky maybe he even would've gone to the Maple Leafs. Maybe he still would've met Auston. Maybe.

But he never would have had Teddie.

So Mitch likes Plan 2.0. It's pretty perfect actually.


End file.
